I'm semi-back, but only sporadically. I miss the table and the daily banter. This recipe looks delicious! I love pork and beef combined. Big Spicy Meatballs (Real Simple) 2 pounds lean ground beef 2 pounds ground pork 1 medium onion, minced 2 slices soft bread, crusts removed and torn into pieces 5 cloves garlic, minced 2 eggs 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan 3 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 cups ricotta 1 jar store-bought marinara sauce Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients, 1 cup of the Parmesan, and 2 teaspoons of the pepper. Mix just to combine. Shape the mixture into 16 to 18 large meatballs (each should consist of about 3/4 cup of meat). Place on a baking pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta with the remaining Parmesan and the remaining pepper; set aside. Bake the meatballs for 20 minutes in upper third of oven. Remove from oven and turn on broiler. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture onto each meatball. Broil 3 to 5 minutes or until the ricotta just starts to brown. Serve the meatballs with jarred marinara sauce.

There are lots of recipes for this soup out there, but this one sounds good to me. CHICKEN ENCHILADA SOUP (None the Wiser) 4 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips 2 teaspoons oil (like canola), divided 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite size pieces 8 oz cream cheese 1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed 1 can (11 oz) corn with red and green bell peppers, drained 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes, drained (I used mild Rotel with green chiles) 3/4 cup enchilada sauce 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro Preheat oven to 400. Place tortilla strips on a baking sheet. Evenly distribute 1 teaspoon of oil over strips using a spatula to gently toss. Spread strips into a single layer and bake approximately 10 minutes, or until crisp. Meanwhile, heat remaining teaspoon of oil in large nonstick saucepan and add chicken. Cook chicken, stirring occasionally, over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked and slightly browned. In a small bowl, blend the cream cheese and enchilada sauce with a handmixer until smooth. Once chicken is done cooking, add cheese and sauce mixture to the sauce pan with the chicken. Stir in milk, beans, corn, and tomatoes. Frequently stirring, simmer over medium-low heat approximately 7 minutes or until heated through. Top soup with tortilla strips and cilantro and serve. Makes 6 servings

This is a "copycat" recipe for pork (or chicken) from a Mexican restaurant in our area. We eat it on nachos, burritos and/or tacos. Cafe Rio Pork...or Chicken 5 lbs pork loin (approx) or Chicken (whatever pieces you use) Cut into cubes of equal size 1/2 to 1 can of Dr. Pepper 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 (7 ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo 1 teaspoon ground mustard, dry (heaping) 1 teaspoon garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 onion chopped black pepper to taste Remove Chilies from the can of adobo sauce. (You can use a small can of green chiles or salsa instead, if you can't find the chiles in adobo sauce) Rinse chilies and can with the coke to get all the sauce. You are using the sauce and not the chilies for this recipe. Discard Chilies or save for another recipe. Put all ingredients except pork in a measuring cup or bowl and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over pork in crock pot. Cook on low for 7-9 hours until it pulls apart easily. After cooking, shred with forks. You can also cook for an hour or so with the lid off, so that the juice reduces if you want. The onions should cook down and will "disappear" when you pull the pork or chicken apart.

Today's a slow day so I'm cleaning out my folders and finishing my annual expense sheet and gathering end of year financial papers together. I have to be grateful for my librarian skills -LOL- I'm not artistic, can't sing, have terrible penmanship, I have a poor sense of fashion (although I wouldn't combine patterns) and I haven't mastered my digital camera either. But I am organized!! And my paperwork is aready to go. All I need now are those official statements from corporations (W-2, 1099 etc.). And now my file folders are ready for 2008. Personally I'd rather be artistic. I envy those who can sing or paint or play musical instruments. Have a wonderful weekend everyone.